Succession Planting

Succession planting is an excellent way to make the most of an intensive garden. To obtain a succession of crops, plant something new in spots vacated by spent plants. Corn after peas is a type of succession.

Planting a spring, summer, and fall garden is another form of succession planting. Cool season crops (broccoli, lettuce, peas) are followed by warm season crops (beans, tomatoes, peppers), and where possible, these may be followed by more cool-season plants, or even a winter cover crop.

Relaying is another common practice, consisting of overlapping plantings of one type of crop. The new planting is made before the old one is removed. For instance, sweet corn may be planted at 2-week intervals for a continuous harvest. This requires some care, though; crops planted very early are likely to get a slower start because of low temperatures. In the case of corn, it can be disastrous to have two varieties pollinating at the same time, as the quality of the kernels may be affected. Give early planted corn extra time to get started, for best results.

Another way to achieve the same result is to plant, at once, various varieties of the same vegetable; for example, you can plant an early-season, a mid-season, and a late-season corn at the same time and have a lengthy harvest.

Starting seeds indoors for transplanting is an important aspect of intensive gardening. To get the most from the garden plot, a new crop should be ready to take the place of the crop being removed. Several weeks may be gained by having 6-inch transplants ready to go into vacated areas. Don't forget to recondition the soil for the new plants.

Some suggested succession planting guidelines are listed below;

Green Beans: plant every 10 days
Beets: plant every 14 days
Cucumbers: plant every 3 weeks
Collards: plant every 3 weeks
Lettuce: plant every 10-14 days
Melons: plant every 3 weeks
Radish: plant every 7 days
Spinach: plant every 7 days
Squash: plant every 6 weeks
Sweet Corn: plant every 14 days
Carrots: plant in spring & fall
Cabbage: transplant in spring & fall
Cauliflower: transplant in spring & fall
Broccoli: transplant in spring & fall
Tomatoes: transplant in spring & fall
Peppers: transplant in spring & fall
Peas: plant in spring & fall

As you can see, a productive season long garden is very possible, with you as
the benefactor and harvestor of the bounty.

Happy gardening, Terry

Some Like it Hot!!!!

How hot are those peppers?

The Scoville scale is a measurement of the spicy heat of a chili pepper.

The number of Scoville heat units indicates the amount of capsaicin present. Capsaicin is a chemical compound that stimulates chemoreceptor nerve endings in the skin, especially the mucous membranes.

The scale is named after its creator, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. His method, devised in 1912, is known as the Scoville Organoleptic Test. The modern commonplace method for quantitative analysis uses high-performanceliquidchromatography, making it possible to directly measure capsaicinoid content.

How is the heat scale generally broken down?

Mild----------0-5000

Medium------5000-20,000

Hot----------20,000-70,000

Extreme-----70,000-300,000+

So how hot are the peppers you are eating?

Sweet Bell, Sweet Banana, Pimento ---------------------------------- 0

Cherry---------------------------------------------------------------0-500

Tam Jalapeno,Poblano, Ancho,Anaheim------------------------------1000-2000

Jalapeno, Mucho Nacho----------------------------------------------2500-8000

Cayenne-------------------------------------------------------------6000-8500

Hot Hungarian Wax--------------------------------------------------5000-9000

Serrano--------------------------------------------------------------8000-22000

Tabasco-------------------------------------------------------------30000-50000

Habanero-----------------------------------------------------------150000-325000

How do you stop the burning after eating jalapeno peppers?

Because of the innate hotness of all chile peppers, they can burn not only the inside of your mouth, but your skin as well. If you find that you simply can't bear the heat after eating a chile pepper, try to consume a dairy product, like milk, yogurt, or ice cream. Dairy products contain a chemical called caisen that combats the effects of chile peppers' capsicum by stripping it from its receptor site on the skin. I've also tried sugar and that seems to work in a pinch.

Jalapeno Skin Burn

Try rubbing alcohol first to remove the burning oil. Then, soak the skin in milk or another dairy product. Only use water or saline for your eyes, however, and please remember that the best way to combat the chile pepper heat is to use rubber gloves when handling peppers.

Also, this was suggested by a poison control center for those times you do not have a dairy product on hand: Wash the skin with warm, soapy water. Rub the skin with vegetable or olive oil and let set a minute. Rinse.

After all that information about how hot peppers are to the taste. Here is a

recipe for fresh salsa.

Fresh Salsa

1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/3 large onion, finely chopped

½ large green bell pepper, finely chopped

½ to 1 whole jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

4 large Roma (paste) tomatoes, chopped

1 small bunch of cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Juice from ¼ lemon

Mix ingredients together and serve, altering the recipe to suit your own taste preferences. Store covered in the refrigerator. To keep calorie and fat content low, serve with baked tortilla chips.

Makes four servings.

Best of all, the ingredients can all be grown in your home garden! The lemon

juice might be a problem to grow in some northern states.

Gardening is always about digging in the dirt, it is also about enjoying the produce you grow.

Happy Gardening, Terry